Gas-producer.



C. W. LUMMIS & G. H. ISLEY.

GAS PRODUCER.

APPLICATION FILED MAYZI. I914.

Patented Dec. 25,1917.

a SHEETSSHEET 1.

C. W. LUMMlS & H. LSLEY.

eAs PRODUCER.

APPLICATION HLED MAYZI, I914.

Patented Dec. 25, 1917.

3 SH'EETS-SHEET 2- 5602909 Fwz wast-n6 C. W. LUMMIS & G. H. ISLEY.

GAS PRODUCER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 21. 1914.

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Patentfl Dec. 25,1917.

will" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES W. LUMMIS AND GEORGE H. ISLEY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGN- ORS T0 MORGAN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY 0F WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A

GAS-PRODUCER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 25, 1917.

Application filed May 21, 1914. Serial No. 840,110.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES W. LUM- MIS and GEORGE H. IsLEY, both citizens of the United States, residingat Worcester, in the county of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Gas-Producers, of

which the following, together with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

The present invention relates to gas producers, and in particular, to mechanism adapted for evening or smoothing the surface of the bed of fuel in a gas producer, and for agitating said surface to prevent the formation of solid masses of fuel by fusion, and the formation of openings in the bed of fuel.

The efficient operation of a gas producer is, in the main, dependent upon the maintenance, in the combustion chamber thereof, of a bed of fuel substantially homogeneous in character and of uniform thickness throughout, whereby the blast of air, or air and steam which is forced through the fuel to support the combustion thereof, may permeate the same uniformly and thoroughly,

to maintain the combustion uniform. The

ordinary methods of feeding fuel to a gas producer through a hopper contribute naturally to the formation of a more or less uneven bed of fuel upon the grade. Furthermore, the combustion of fuel in such a condition tends to render the fuel bed solid and substantially impenetrable in some portions, while other portions become more or less cellular in character, with a consequent serious loss of efficiency. The present inventron contemplates the overcomin of these difliculties by the provision of a suitably suspended member adapted to bear with a sufficient pressure on the surface of the bed of fuel and to rise and fall as the mean level of said fuel rises and falls, the said member and the mass of fuel being movable relatively one to the other in order to make the member effective over the entire surface of the bed for the purpose of evening the same and agitating the fuel thereon. Other objects and advantages Wlll appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a producer constructed in accordance with our invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view, partly in section, of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the end of the evener member.

Fig. 4. is a fragmentary sectional view, on line 4-4 of Fig. 5, of a producer constructed in accordance with a modified form of our lnventlon.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on line55 of Fig. 4.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the producer includes a rotatable fuel section 1, and a stationary section 2, the section 1 being rotated in any suitable manner as by a rack 3 and worm 4. The section 2 is supported above the section 1 by posts 5; the section 2 has a depending apron 6 which extends below the surface of the water in an annular chamber 7 formed in the wall of section 1 to provide a water seal against the escape of gas from the combustion chamber inclosed by said sections.

The section 2 is closed at the top by a cover plate 8, which is preferably provided with means for supporting a body of water, to prevent overheating. The cover plate 8 supports a suitable feeding device or hopper, not shown, by means of which fuel is fed into the combustion chamber in any well known manner, and is also provided with a suitable outlet opening 9 for the egress of the gases generated in the combustion chamber.

The cover plate 8 is formed with a rectangular opening 10, the longitudinal center line of which is offset from that diameter of the plate to which it is parallel, said opening being substantially equal in length to one half of a diameter of the plate. The walls 11 defining said opening are extended upwardly and flanged outwardly, to receive a similarly flanged cover 12 inclosing a chamber 13 forming an extension of the combustion chamber of the producer.

Alined bearings 14:, 14: are mounted exteriorly of said chamber at each end thereof,

and in said bearings are journaled the endsof hollow trunnions 15, 15 passing through the ends of said chamber in the plane of the flanged joint between the walls 11 and cover 12. The trunnions 15 and 15' are joined together within said chamber by an abutting flange joint 16, provided with an intermediate plate 16 which prevents direct communication between the trunnions. Each trunnion has extending downwardly therefrom, near its outer end, a pipe section 17 in communication with its interior, and each pipe section carries at its lower end a cou-' pling 18, said couplings 18 being connected by a pipe 19, which provides for a circulation of water from one trunnion to the other. Said pipe 19 is preferably protected by a tubular cover 20 extending between the couplings 18 and forming the evener member of the present invention, adapted to rest on the surface of the bed of fuel in the section 1. Provision is made for a constant circulation of water through the evener member, by connecting the ends of the trunnions to inflow and outflow water pipes as shown in Fig. 1. r

The trunnion 15 beyond its bearing 14 has formed thereon a collar 21, which is provided with an annular series of equidistant bolt holes 22. An upwardly extending lever 23 is mounted on the end of said trunnion in abutting relation to said collar, said lever having an annular series of bolt holes 24: adapted to register with the corre- 7 sponding holes 22 in different radial. positions of said lever. Bolts 25 for holding said lever in various positions of adjustment with respect to the axial line of the trunnions are passed through said registering bolt holes.- Said lever carries a weight 26, provided with a set screw 27 by means of which the weight is held in any desired position along the length of the lever, whereby to vary the effective lever arm of said weight in the application of a force to maintain the pivoted evener member 2.0 against the surface of the bed of fuel. Extending upwardly from the cover plate 8 adjacent the lever is a segmental member 28, having formed therein a plurality of equidistant radially arranged holes. A shorter segmental member 29, substantially U-shaped in cross section is adapted to be secured to the face of member 28 in'any one of a number of positions as determined by said holes, the two sides or endsof said member thereby forming spaced stops to limit the movement of the lever 23 in each direction.

In the operation of the producer, the evener member 20 lies on the surface of the fuel in a radial or nearly radial position. The lever 23 is adjusted so as to lie inclined to the aertical, in the direction of the arrow A, in which the section 1 is caused torotate. It will be obvious that the pressure exerted upon the fuel by the evener member 20 is dependent upon the leverage of the weight 26; and that this leverage, determined by the horizontal distance of said weight from the axis of the trunnions, may

tion of said surface and smoothing the same as it is carried thereunder to render the bed of'fuel homogeneous throughout and of uniform thickness. Should any part of the evener structure become damaged, removal of the cover 12 renders the same readily accessible and the entire device may be easily withdrawn through the opening 10 and a new evener substituted if necessary.

In the modification shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the side wall of the upper section 2 of the producer has formed therein asegmental opening of sufficient circumferential length to permit the withdrawal therethrough of an evener member 20, substantially identical in construction with the member described in connection with Figs. 1 and 2. A two-part water cooled casting 30, conforming substantially to the shape of said opening is detachably secured therein to close the same, said casting having a depending flange 31 forming an extension of the water seal apron 6 of the upper section.

The two sections of the water cooled cast-' ing 30 are united on the diametrical line of an opening 32 formed partly in one section and partly in the other, for the accommo dation of the outer ends of the pipesections 17 which connect the evener member 20 with its trunnions 15, 15'. The latter are journaled in bearings formed in part by outward extensions of the walls of the two sections of the casting-30 and in part by a detachable cap 33, which closes the outer end of opening 32. The details of construction of the trunnions of the evener are substantially the same asin the first described form, provision being made for the radial adjustment of a weighted lever 23 with respect to the axial line of the trunnions, and

suitable adjustable stops being provided to limit the movement of said lever in each direction.

The operation of the last described form of evener is identical with the operation of the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and the said evener is readily removable by removal of the water cooled casting 30. 'It is obvious that-in each form of the invention described, the upper section 2 may be rotated with respect to the fuel section 1, carrying the evener member 20 over the surface of the fuel contained inthe latter to effect changes in the levelof the fuel.

the desired agitation and smoothing thereof. It it desirable, in the operation of a gas producer, that the variation of the level of the fuel therein should be limited, and in practice, the range of such variations should not be over fifteen or eighteen inches. The stops formed by the sides of the U-shaped member 29 are spaced to permit a movement of the,lever 23 corresponding approximately to the desired range of vertical movement of the evener member 20, in response to Therefore, when the lever 23 engages or approaches the left hand stop of the member 29, it is an indication that the level of the fuel in the producer has fallen too low, and when the lever 23 engages the right hand stop, the operator is informed that the upper limit of the level of the fuel in the producer has been reached. It is to be noted that in the operation of both forms of fuel evener, the member 20 is constrained to lie in a position corresponding to a radial line of the fuel section or on one side of the other of said radial line, as determined by the level of the fuel on which it floats. When operating on a level of fuel which maintains it substantially in a radial line, the member 20 has a tendency to crowd the surface fuel toward the walls of the fuel section. This tendency is increased when the fuel level falls, causing the evener member 20 to assume a position parallel to'its former radial position but at the side, thereof from which the fuel approaches. This crowding effect is neutralized when the level of the fuel is such as to maintain the evener on the opposite side of said radial line, as shown in Fig. 2, and it is obvious that any considerable elevation of the evener member to carry it still farther away from the radial line in the direction of the movement of the fuel will result in a crowding of the surface fuel toward the center of the fuel section. In the form shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the disposition of the evener member 20 is such that there is a tendency for it to dig into the surface of the fuel, instead of floating thereon, in the manner previously described. This ten dency is neutralized by adjusting the lever 23 so that the weight 26 will partially counterbalance the weight of the evener member, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, thereby reducing the pressure of the latter on the surface of the fuel. 7 a

We claim:

1. In a gas producer, means for supporting a bed of fuel, a member pivoted at one end about a horizontal axis above said bed, and resting by gravity at its other end on the surface of said bed in substantially radial disposition to said surface, and means for causing relative movement between said bed and said member.

2.-In a gas producer, means for supporting a bed of fuel, fuel evening means having a' substantially radial disposition with respect to the surface of said bed, said means being pivotally supported for bodily movement about an axis offset therefrom, and means for causing relative movement between said bed and said fuel evening meanssur ace of said bed, and having a swinging movementin response to changes in the level of said bed, and means for'cau'sing a relative traversing movement between said bed and said member.

5. In a gas producer, means for supporting a bed of fuel, means for feeding fuel to said bed during the operation of theproducer, a member operative with respect to the surface of said bed for smoothing and evening the same, means for suporting said member for vertical self-adjustment in response to changes in the level of said bed, and means for causing a relative traversing movement in a single direction between said bed and said member.

' 6. In a gas producer, means for supporting a bed of fuel, fuel evening means in contact with the surface of said bed and movable in a circular arc in response to changes in the thickness of said bed, and means for causing relative traversing movement in a single direction betweenosaid bed and said fuel evening means.

7. In a gas producer, means for supporting a bed of fuel, an element having a substantially radial disposition with respect to the surface of said bed, and resting by gravity thereon, said element being pivota ll y supportedfor bodily movement about a horizontal axis above said bed, and means for effecting the traverse of said element with respect to the surface of said bed.

8, In a gas producer, means for supporting a bed of fuel, means for feeding fuel to said bed during the operation of the producer, a fuel evener efiective with respect to the su'rface'of said bed, and adapted to adjust itself automatically to changes in the level of said bed, and means, responsive to the movement of said fuel evener, for indicating the level of the fuel in said bed.

9. In a gasproducer, means for supporting a bed of fuel, a pivoted fuel evener having a substantially radial disposition with varying the pressure of said free end against the surface of said fuel.

11. In a gas producer, means for supporting a bed of fuel, means for feeding fuel to said bed during the operation of the producer, and means movable in response to changes in the level of said bed of fuel for crowding fuel on the surface of said bed toward or from the center of the producer.

12. In a gas producer, means for support- ,ing a bed offuel, radially disposed fuel evening means effective with respect to the surface of said bed and resting bygravity thereon, means for constraining the vertical movement of said means about a fixed axis as the level of the 'bed of fuel rises and falls, and means for effecting a relative traversing movement between said fuel eveningmeans and the surface of said bed.

13. Ina gas producer, means for supporting a bed of fuel, means for feeding fuel to said bed during the operation of the producer, fuel evening means effective with respect to the surface of said bed, and vertically movable automatically in response to changes in the level of said bed, and means for, limiting the range of vertical movement of said fuel evening means.

14. In a gas producer, a fuel section, a cover section therefor, a member pivotally suspended from said cover section and having its free end supported upon the surface of the bed of fuel in said fuel section, and means for causing relative rotation between said fuel section and said cover section.

15. In a, gas producer, a fuel section, a cover section therefor having an opening therethrough, a member supported at one end on the surface of the bed of fuel in said fuel section and having its other end extended through said opening in the cover section, and pivoted to said cover section beyond said opening, a detachable closure for said opening, and means for causing relative rotation between said fuel section and said cover section.

16. In a gas producer, a fuel section, a cover section having an opening therethrough, a fuel leveling member pivotally supported by said cover section, with its free end resting by gravity on the fuel in said fuel section, said member being removable through said opening, and means for causing relative rotation between said fuel section and said cover section.

17. In a gas producer, a shell inclosing a gas producing chamber, said shell having an opening therethrough, a pivoted leveling member having its free end resting by gravity on the bed of fuel in said chamber, said member being removable through said opening, and means for causing relative traversmg movement between said member and said bed of fuel.

18. In a gas producer, a shell inclosing a gas producing chamber, said shell having an opening therethrough, a detachable closure for said opening, and a pivoted leveling member carried by said shell with its free end resting by gravity on the bed of fuel therein, said member being removable through said opening.

19. A gas producer having a U-shaped agitator, its ends mounted to swing at the top of the producer and its bend playing freely against the coal and means causing relatively horizontal motion between the agitator and the coal.

,Dated this eighteenth day of May, 1914.

' CHARLES W. LUMMIS.

GEORGE H. ISLEY. Witnesses! JOHN H. JoHNsoN, W. A. WINN. 

